This invention relates to a laser positioning device.
There are a number of manufacturing and other activities where it is necessary to place the constituent parts of items being manufactured correctly and accurately relative to one another for assembly purposes. One example is in the rubber tire manufacturing industry, where components such as canvas and rubber strips steel belts and so on have to be positioned accurately relative to the tire carcase during the assembly process.
Conventionally, accurate component positioning can be achieved in a number of different ways. For instance, adjustable mechanical pointers can be set up to indicate the lines along which components should be fed. However, the mechanical systems suffer from disadvantages such as the fact that they are cumbersome and bulky, with the potential for obstructing the free movement of personnel responsible for handling and positioning the components.
A known system already used in the tire manufacturing industry employs a light projector to project thin slits of light onto the tire. The slits of light then serve as indicators for component positioning. Practical disadvantages of such systems include the fact that the projector lamp consumes considerable energy and produces a great deal of heat. Added to this, the lines of light are not easily visible in some lighting conditions.